Hawaiʻi's public schools are adopting statewide reforms aimed at preparing all students for college and career opportunities (Hawaiʻi…
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D.Ed. University of Hawaii at Manoa 2014.

Hawaiʻi's public schools are adopting statewide reforms aimed at preparing all students for college and career opportunities (Hawaiʻi Department of Education [HIDOE], n.d.). These shifts reflect national reforms and require school leaders to learn new roles and responsibilities to ensure rigor and consistent practices across grade K-12 settings (DuFour & Marzano, 2011). It is messy and complicated work because changing one function of the statewide organization can significantly impact other parts. The state's system-wide adoption of Hawaiʻi Common Core Standards (HCCS), for example, has implications for professional development and curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices (HIDOE, n.d.). This study describes the current federal and local education climate and explores the power of professional learning communities (PLCs) to meet the challenges of current reforms.
A casestudy was conducted at Makana Public Charter School (MPCS), a pseudonym, to address the question, "How can a school effectively develop and sustain professional learning communities that focus on student learning?" The study finds that, while the principal plays a key role in establishing supportive conditions for PLCs, teacher leadership is critical to the effective implementation and sustainability of these communities of practice. In this study, the principal demonstrated a strong background in instructional leadership and professional development. This foundation appeared to help him understand the steps and nuances required in establishing supportive conditions for collaborative practices such as allocating resources, establishing a culture of trust, involving faculty in key decisions, and guiding interactions within the PLC meetings. Teacher leadership was also key in the implementation of PLCs as this role group supported and held one another accountable for achieving shared agreements around academic and behavior expectations. This study can inform the work of others who are interested in leveraging collaborative practices to impact professional learning and improve student outcomes.

► A casestudy is often criticised for the risk that a researcher have a subjective interpretation of the data. This paper has the ambition…
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▼ A casestudy is often criticised for the risk that a researcher have a subjective interpretation of the data. This paper has the ambition to analyse how to choose the right angles in case studies to prove that you made a reliable casestudy. The most highlighted in this casestudy will be casestudy methodology. It will also be about what you should think about as a researcher in order to stay as objective as possible. By analysing and comparing the interpretations of different sources, the answer was that there are many things to consider as a researcher to understand how to choose the right angles. There are things to consider before and during the casestudy. The result after examining various sources was that you have to be precise and clear in a casestudy. The method description should be as clear as possible so that others will be able to perform the test. Subjective interpretations should not be taken with. The key is to choose an objective interpretation and highlight different perspectives to get a reliable casestudy.

► Teaching with case studies has expanded extensively, and it is shown that this methodology is a very good manner for the learner to maintain…
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▼ Teaching with case studies has expanded extensively, and it is shown that this methodology is a very good manner for the learner to maintain the given knowledge, but also challenge themselves in more than one way. Teaching with cases opens up the walls of curiosity of decision making, problem solving, discussions and more. The case methodology is rich in detail which let the apprentices learn not only theoretical concepts, but practical concepts in different case situations.

► Since the early Nineties, public networks have been placed centre stage to solve “wicked” problems and are considered the multi-organizational arrangement ‘par excellence’ to achieve…
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▼ Since the early Nineties, public networks have been
placed centre stage to solve “wicked” problems and are considered
the multi-organizational arrangement ‘par excellence’ to achieve
solutions that are difficult to obtain by individual organizations.
Despite this euphoria on networks as the best solution, in 1997
O’Toole’s call to “treat networks seriously” implied understanding
how they perform, how to measure their performance and what affects
their results. Firstly, this dissertation aims to review the
different concepts and measures of network performance and proposes
a reliable measure following a multidimensional approach. Secondly,
it deals with the in-depth study of the relationships among the
four main determinants of network effectiveness: contextual
characteristics, structural characteristics, functioning
characteristics and network manager. Results confirm that public
networks can improve their ability to survive in the long term and
achieve their goals through a combination of proper structural,
managerial and functioning characteristics.
Advisors/Committee Members: Daniela (Dir.).

Macciò, L. (2013). Do public networks really work?: An essay on public network
performance and its determinants. (Thesis). Università della Svizzera italiana. Retrieved from http://doc.rero.ch/record/209059

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

Council of Science Editors:

Macciò L. Do public networks really work?: An essay on public network
performance and its determinants. [Thesis]. Università della Svizzera italiana; 2013. Available from: http://doc.rero.ch/record/209059

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

► Usability, simplicity and ease of use are still ‘hot topics’ in product design. To illustrate how important the user became in product design, Philips introduced…
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▼ Usability, simplicity and ease of use are still ‘hot topics’ in product design. To illustrate how important the user became in product design, Philips introduced Sense and Simplicity as their brand promise in 2004. However, in the early nineties, Philips had already launched a product line that aimed to be specifically easy to use. The line was named the Easy Line and consisted of four audio products: an analogue clock radio, a portable radio, a radio cassette recorder and a HiFi set. Although, the line was intended to be THE solution to difficult to operate audio equipment, it didn’t sell well. The question arose: why? The desire to find the answer to this question formed the basis for this study.
The study into the Easy Line was approached as a retrospective casestudy. The main research question was: ‘Why and how was the Easy Line developed and how come it was (not) a success?’ During the study, multiple sources of evidence were used. A large and important part of the information was obtained by interviewing people who played a role in the Easy Line project. When data were collected, mind-maps were made that formed the basis for ‘The story of the Easy Line’ which is told chronologically:
The Easy Line
Fierce competition in the consumer electronics market from Japan (Sony particularly) made it necessary for Philips to react and innovate to maintain a profitable market share. The combination of the growing dislike of complex products, the graying of the population and the then recent successful segmentation of the audio market into target groups was seen as an opportunity for Philips to develop easy to use products. Philips’ Business Group Audio thought that easy products would fulfil an unsatisfied need for uncomplicated products and would therefore result in sales and sustainable profit for Philips. The initial target group Philips chose for the Easy Line were the elderly, however, this has been adjusted at the start of the project to (almost) everyone.
The Easy Line project was initiated by Philips’ Business Group Audio. The development of the portable Easy Line products (i.e. the analogue clock radio, the portable radio and the radio cassette recorder) started first. The design was done by Philips Corporate Design. The design phase of the portable range was relatively short: it took the designer about three weeks to finish the concepts. The development and design of the HiFi set was done by an external company: Cambridge Consultants Ltd. During the process there was little communication between the two project teams which resulted in a HiFi set that had little in common with the portable Easy Line products. During the development, especially of the portable Easy Line, no real user tests were done: the step to see if people really needed or wanted ‘easy’ products and what they expected of them was skipped.
The Easy Line products were positioned in the ‘high-end’ segment. The high price was justified by emphasizing that the products were of high quality and had a special design. In the sales situation it…
Advisors/Committee Members: De Rijk, T.R.A., Van Kuijk, J.I., Den Ouden, P.H..

►Case handling is a popular paradigm within municipalities and governmental organizatons in The Netherlands. However, there is a significant gap between scientific literature and the…
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▼Case handling is a popular paradigm within municipalities and governmental organizatons in The Netherlands. However, there is a significant gap between scientific literature and the implementation of Case-handling Systems at these organizatons. Based on a literature study and semi-structured interviews at organizations, this research presents several best practices and introduces the Declarative Modular Case Modelling Technique (DMCM) in order to support organizations with their implementation of a Case-handling System. The technique is tested in a casestudy performed at the Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit, which is at the time of writing in the process of implementing such a system. The technique presents a generic modular approach to the modelling of processes and case types, focusing on the reusability of process fragments between different case types. The modules are gathered in a repository on which the specific implementations are based. With the introduction op the modelling technique, best practices and a definitive definition of the case handling paradigm, this research bridges the gap between the academic and organizational aspects of case handling.
Advisors/Committee Members: van der Werf, J.M.E.M., Overbeek, S.J..

► Finding the solution to successful agrarian reform has been one of the most polemic topics facing the developing world, not to mention one of the…
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▼ Finding the solution to successful agrarian reform has been one of the most polemic topics facing the developing world, not to mention one of the major issues that the World Bank has been tasked with helping resolve. In the early 1990s the World Bank started advocating the use of market-led agrarian reform (MLAR) in Brazil, which is a neoclassical approach to land reform focusing on negotiated land redistribution techniques, agricultural efficiency, and rural development. Past state-led attempts at agrarian reform in the country had been criticized for focusing mainly on land expropriation and redistribution which has done little to help increase rural development and productivity. This paper will specifically look at the use of MLAR in Brazil, tracking the progress that it has made and looking at what problems have stood in the way of sustainable rural development and poverty alleviation thus far.
Advisors/Committee Members: Hinojosa, Victor Javier (advisor).

► The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine middle school student ideas about school life, their perceptions of their classroom cultures, their perceptions of…
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▼ The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine middle school student ideas about school life, their perceptions of their classroom cultures, their perceptions of their experiences at school, and their interactions with those around them in order to understand what qualities in their learning environment influence their motivation to learn. Four individual case studies and a cross-case analysis were conducted with four adolescent student participants from a suburban middle school in the Southeastern United States during the course of the 2001-2002 school year. The data sources were analyzed in order to find commonalities and differences in the perceptual experiences of the participating middle school students as they navigated the eighth grade. Throughout the study, student perceptions were articulated and analyzed using a multidimensional theoretical framework that is introduced in Chapter Three. Findings indicate that student perceptions of a welcoming classroom culture along with a strong relationship with teachers are prerequisites for some students to be willing to engage in learning. The findings also indicate that teaching methods students perceive to be more active are more motivating than those perceived as more passive in nature.
Advisors/Committee Members: H. James McLaughlin.

Culligan, J. J. (2002). What are middle school students' reasons for choosing to engage or not to engage in their own learning?. (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Georgia. Retrieved from http://purl.galileo.usg.edu/uga_etd/culligan_john_j_200205_phd

Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition):

Culligan, John Joseph. “What are middle school students' reasons for choosing to engage or not to engage in their own learning?.” 2002. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Georgia. Accessed March 21, 2019.
http://purl.galileo.usg.edu/uga_etd/culligan_john_j_200205_phd.

MLA Handbook (7th Edition):

Culligan, John Joseph. “What are middle school students' reasons for choosing to engage or not to engage in their own learning?.” 2002. Web. 21 Mar 2019.

Vancouver:

Culligan JJ. What are middle school students' reasons for choosing to engage or not to engage in their own learning?. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Georgia; 2002. [cited 2019 Mar 21].
Available from: http://purl.galileo.usg.edu/uga_etd/culligan_john_j_200205_phd.

Council of Science Editors:

Culligan JJ. What are middle school students' reasons for choosing to engage or not to engage in their own learning?. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Georgia; 2002. Available from: http://purl.galileo.usg.edu/uga_etd/culligan_john_j_200205_phd

► This action research (AR) casestudy addresses the effectiveness of the feedback administrators provide to teachers under the Teacher Keys Effectiveness System (TKES). AR teams…
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▼ This action research (AR) casestudy addresses the effectiveness of the feedback administrators provide to teachers under the Teacher Keys Effectiveness System (TKES). AR teams explored techniques to improve feedback to help teachers improve their instructional practices within teacher and leader efficacy and professional school structures lenses. To evaluate the AR process, the following questions drove the study:
1. How effective is the action research process in empowering the team’s ability to find a solution to an evaluation system problem?
2. How can teachers influence the feedback process, and in what ways does feedback inform teachers’ practices?
3. How do administrators increase their capacity to give actionable feedback?
Under the guidance of action research, two teams examined administrator feedback in the TKES platform and the professional learning resources leaders used to improve their evaluation practices. Findings included the following: teachers desire to see consistency in feedback that includes commendations and recommendations, administrators should change an evaluation score if the teacher provides evidence, teachers change their instruction if the feedback is purposeful, relevant, and convincing, and action research teams should include teachers from different grade levels and content areas to be effective as they address practical school change.
Advisors/Committee Members: Sheneka M. Williams.

Carpenter KP. Impact of action research teams on administrators' implementation and teachers' perception of the Teacher Keys Effectiveness System. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Georgia; 2016. Available from: http://purl.galileo.usg.edu/uga_etd/carpenter_kevin_p_201605_edd

► The purpose of this descriptive/interpretive qualitative casestudy is to understand and make sense of preservice and experienced teachers’ practical knowledge about diversity through case-based…
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▼ The purpose of this descriptive/interpretive qualitative casestudy is to understand and make sense of preservice and experienced teachers’ practical knowledge about diversity through case-based pedagogy. Six case studies were conducted using within and cross-case analysis of three preservice and three experienced teachers enrolled in elementary science courses at a university in the Southeastern United States. Data was collected during the fall semester, 2002 and was constantly compared and reduced using Kennedy’s categories for analyzing application of theory to cases - flexibility, connectedness, and perceived meaningfulness, together with that of Lundeberg and Fawver - perspective-taking. Banks’ dimensions of multicultural education - content integration, knowledge construction, prejudice reduction, equity pedagogy, and empowering school culture and social structure - were also used as a framework for analysis. Findings indicate that preservice and experienced teachers confirm or challenge their knowledge, beliefs, and teaching practice about diversity through case-based pedagogy. The participants enthusiastically evaluated case-based pedagogy as an interesting, vivid, and productive vehicle for in-depth reflections about diversity and multicultural education. In order to help preservice and experienced teachers confront their hidden knowledge and beliefs about diversity, the study provides suggestions for teacher education and professional development regarding diversity and case-based pedagogy. Considering that teachers are continuously evolving beings, this study is not an endpoint; rather it is situated in the midst of a continuing professional development process.
Advisors/Committee Members: Deborah J. Tippins.

► The purpose of this qualitative casestudy was to examine what happens when educators in an elementary school come together to build toward more reciprocal…
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▼ The purpose of this qualitative casestudy was to examine what happens when educators in an elementary school come together to build toward more reciprocal relationships with families. A university-based researcher facilitated and documented efforts of a study group of three teachers and a school counselor that spanned 10 months. The study is informed by critical theory and the literature on family-school partnerships, and the critical stance of the researcher was to explore the possibilities within and through the study group for understanding self, honoring voices of teachers and families, and disrupting power relations. Findings focus on participants’ perspectives on their experiences in the study group and the projects that resulted from their efforts. Data include participants’ journals (approximately 20 per participant), a minimum of three taped and transcribed interviews with each participant, observations of and copies of teachers’ projects with families, and field notes from the bi monthly study-group meetings. Analysis was based on individual cases of participants in the study group as well as cross-case analysis. The research report describes how the teachers designed and implemented their own projects to reach out to families, and what they learned from those efforts. Although there were challenges, teachers found the study group engaging, informative, and supportive. They valued study-group readings which provided a conceptual framework and shared language for their discussions and found that some readings helped them overcome their own stereotypes about families. They also valued their visit to a school which had built exemplary partnerships with families. Teachers identified a range of both positive and negative emotions surrounding teacher-family relationships. Through the study group activities and support, participants believed that they were able to identify and overcome many of their own psychological barriers to teacher-family partnerships and felt that they were better able to listen to and learn from families in more reciprocal ways.
Advisors/Committee Members: Penny Oldfather.

► Topic prominent constructions by non-native speakers of English are basic and non-derived due to problem-solving strategies. In this casestudy, natural kitchen pidgin data is…
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▼ Topic prominent constructions by non-native speakers of English are basic and non-derived due to problem-solving strategies. In this casestudy, natural kitchen pidgin data is collected and transcribed in order to document the features of this working pidgin and re-interpret them as functional topic chains. The underlying pragmatic functions of the topic chains produce topic prominent forms. The definition of the kitchen speech as a “kitchen pidgin” is challenged when the kitchen workers in this study are re-evaluated as successful language learners despite the restricted usage of this mixed language in the workplace.
Advisors/Committee Members: Don McCreary.

► Abstract This casestudy explores the coaching behavior of Clare Drake, an exemplary university hockey coach. The research identified qualities contributing to his influence. Data…
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▼ Abstract This casestudy explores the coaching
behavior of Clare Drake, an exemplary university hockey coach. The
research identified qualities contributing to his influence. Data
included written documentation; three informal conversational style
interviews and one semi-structured interview with the case; as well
as semi-structured interviews with eight past players, captains
and/or coaches representing three distinct eras of coaching at the
University of Alberta (1959-68, 1969-78, 1979-89). Transformational
leadership theory (Bass, 1985) was used to frame the inquiry. It
may be that Clare Drake’s humility was the linchpin of the
remaining four qualities and therefore an important ingredient
contributing to the success and influence that he had on his
players, teams and his sport. This research supports extant
literature in the area of transformational leadership in sport as
well as more recent findings linking humility to effective
leadership behavior (Collins, 2001; Morris et al., 2005; Owens
& Hekman, 2012).

► The Government of Canada introduced the federal Gas Tax Fund (GTF) during 2005 as an initiative to improve sustainable development in rural communities. One of…
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▼ The Government of Canada introduced the federal Gas
Tax Fund (GTF) during 2005 as an initiative to improve sustainable
development in rural communities. One of the main requirements for
accessing this fund was that each municipality formulate an
Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (ICSP). As part of
creating these sustainability plans, both the federal and
provincial governments made citizen participation an important
requirement of the planning process. The main objective of this
thesis is to understand the nature of citizen involvement in
developing the ICSPs. This is achieved by focusing on two case
studies, The Town of Hinton (2008-2011) and Regional Municipality
of Wood Buffalo (2009- 2010). This research has adopted a
qualitative method, and used secondary data followed by 24
telephone interviews (2014) to learn more about the, methods,
successes and challenges of citizen engagement. These case studies
on citizen engagement in sustainability planning contribute to our
understanding of theories of citizen participation, deliberative
democracy and technocracy. Specifically sustainability planning in
the Alberta appears to be a broader process of consultation.
However, citizen participation frameworks such as Arnstein’s Ladder
of Participation do not necessarily account for all of the
socio-economic factors (e.g., busy lifestyle, transient population,
, citizens’ lack of understanding of technical and complicated
concepts, time and financial constraints, poor road and weather
conditions) that affect people’s engagement in planning processes.
Sustainability planning is better understood as a longer term
process of social learning; simple consultation processes cannot
necessarily facilitate the deep goals of
sustainability.

► Two powerful earthquakes of similar magnitude struck the Canterbury region of New Zealand as well as the Caribbean nation of Haiti within the space of…
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▼ Two powerful earthquakes of similar magnitude struck the Canterbury region of New Zealand as well as the Caribbean nation of Haiti within the space of a few months. Indeed, the experts maintain that the quake felt within Christchurch on September 4th, 2010 was a ‘mirror image’ of the Haitian quake of January 12th, 2010. However, still recovering from the impacts of the initial damage, a second quake struck Christchurch on February 22nd, 2011 albeit with a markedly different outcome than the first. Although both ‘geophysical agents’ were located near major population centres, a point of departure between the Haitian and Christchurch earthquakes is the differential outcome experienced by the impacted regions. Whilst the overall impact within Christchurch could be described as ‘extensive’, the impact within Haiti has been labeled as ‘catastrophic’.
This comparative casestudy contrasted the similarities and differences between these two disaster-affected regions. At a general level, this study attempts to provide insight as to how a comparable disaster agent can produce such divergent outcomes. By utilizing a ‘resilience lens’, it analyzes what factors affect the ‘bouncing back’ process within Haiti and Christchurch. That is, were these factors generated by the disaster agent, as a result of processes in existence before the earthquakes or both and to what extent? In order to guide the categories of data collection, the ‘SEBN model’ utilized by the Ministry of Civil Defence (MCDEM) within New Zealand, was applied. The results of this study indicate that whilst ‘traditional’ resilience is evidenced by daily living within Haiti, the overwhelming levels of vulnerability, coupled with ineffective governance, insecure land tenure as well as a lack of overall resources greatly affect a ‘bouncing back’. For Christchurch, the positive results of a proactive approach (such as emergency preparedness, stringent building codes, community education) are evidenced in relation to the forces generated by the earthquake. However, Christchurch is subject to issues on a different level to Haiti which affect its potential to bounce back. Chief amongst these are the constant after-shocks; land acquisition, psycho-social and business continuity issues.
Advisors/Committee Members: Lardeux-Gilloux, Isabelle (advisor).

▼ Proponents of sustainable development argue green buildings provide operational cost savings, resource conservation and recycling, and increased indoor air quality. Industry skeptics argue benefits associated with green buildings don???t outweigh the additional upfront costs. This thesis is a cost benefit analysis of Loftworks??? decision to pursue LEED certification of 2600 Capitol Avenue in Sacramento, CA.
Additional hard and soft costs totaled 3.10 percent above baseline for the as-built LEED-Gold office building. The quantifiable savings came from an efficient HVAC system and savings average 66,900 per year. Upfront costs and long-term benefits associated with LEED certification of 2600 Capitol Avenue produces a net present value (NPV) of 482,900. The additional LEED investment pays for itself in less than three years and the efficient HVAC system has a 25-year functional life if properly maintained.
Advisors/Committee Members: Wassmer, Robert W..

Livaich, J. W. G. (2010). You say you want a green revolution, but are costs greater than its benefits?. (Masters Thesis). California State University – Sacramento. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10211.9/368

Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition):

Livaich, Joseph William George. “You say you want a green revolution, but are costs greater than its benefits?.” 2010. Masters Thesis, California State University – Sacramento. Accessed March 21, 2019.
http://hdl.handle.net/10211.9/368.

MLA Handbook (7th Edition):

Livaich, Joseph William George. “You say you want a green revolution, but are costs greater than its benefits?.” 2010. Web. 21 Mar 2019.

Vancouver:

Livaich JWG. You say you want a green revolution, but are costs greater than its benefits?. [Internet] [Masters thesis]. California State University – Sacramento; 2010. [cited 2019 Mar 21].
Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10211.9/368.

Council of Science Editors:

Livaich JWG. You say you want a green revolution, but are costs greater than its benefits?. [Masters Thesis]. California State University – Sacramento; 2010. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10211.9/368

► Abstract The purpose of restructuring the company into financial difficulties the company can make by corporate restructuring procedures, the company has re-rehabilitation may be an…
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▼ Abstract
The purpose of restructuring the company into financial difficulties the company can make by corporate restructuring procedures, the company has re-rehabilitation may be an opportunity to make a comeback. Although the corporate restructuring law conception fine, but the actual success of corporate restructuring are too low, and the case company is one of the successful cases.
To understand the success of the process of corporate restructuring cases in this study will use the casestudy method. With access to several key players in the restructuring process, the interview will collate the case a key factor in the success of corporate restructuring.
The study reached the following conclusions. First, the case is due to corporate restructuring with banks' own liquidity problems operational difficulties, resulting in companies facing financial problems. Second, faced with staff that the process of restructuring, legal cases, and re-engineering business for the company who are not familiar with such challenges. Third, the restructuring strategy includes: communicating with stakeholders, dealing with litigation, research and development into new products, expand business and markets. Fourth, the case company to create value is developed and patented new products, new market development. Fifth, the case is due to the success of corporate restructuring were re-, re-engineering supervisor with the operators of perseverance, staff cohesion and trust of customers, legal affairs are handled properly and expand the market and new product development.
Advisors/Committee Members: Ming-Chu Yu (chair), Bih-Shiaw Jaw (committee member), Yu-Ping Wang (chair).

Research indicates that technology can play a vital role in supporting universal design for learning (UDL); however, little…
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▼

Ph.D. University of Hawaii at Manoa 2015.

Research indicates that technology can play a vital role in supporting universal design for learning (UDL); however, little research currently exists to detail specific practices of educators in the field. This qualitative casestudy was designed to explore and describe the efforts to prepare and deliver instruction with a combined knowledge of technology-content-and-pedagogy (TPACK) to support UDL in an inclusive setting, at a Title 1 school. The justification for this study stemmed from the researcher’s passion to help practitioners in the field understand the strategies and materials utilized by an exemplary educator. It was this researcher’s intuition that an awareness of a unique practice may help broaden the research base for both UDL and TPACK, and possibly impact both policy and practice.
The purposefully selected participant was an experienced general education teacher at a Title 1 school in central Oahu, a part of the Hawaiʻi Department of Education (HDOE). Data were collected across the duration of an entire, official HDOE instructional quarter, and included a series of observations followed by in-depth interviews, and the analyses of materials and instructional resources that were designed and utilized to support instruction. The data were coded and analyzed to address the specific research questions of this study. The analysis and interpretation of the findings were organized with respect to the frameworks of this particular study: TPACK and UDL.
This research revealed that a teacher’s TPACK provides important support in preparing for and delivering UDL-based instruction and expands the range of strategies and materials available for the teacher to use. Recommendations included the ongoing integration of 21st century technologies and TPACK in the delivery of professional development for educators related to UDL. Additionally there is a call for administrative policies that support the ongoing development of TPACK for practitioners in the field, as well as broadening opportunities for research that examine the connections between TPACK and UDL.

► Attachment to the therapist is a relatively new area of psychotherapy research. While research has shown that clients can and do form attachments to their…
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▼ Attachment to the therapist is a relatively new area
of psychotherapy research. While research has shown that clients
can and do form attachments to their therapists (e.g.,
Mallinckrodt, Gantt, & Coble, 1995) it is unclear how and to
what end these attachments develop. This study utilized a
longitudinal mixed-methods casestudy design to examine how
attachment to the therapist developed in brief (six-session)
psychotherapy for a client with Major Depressive Disorder and
Social Phobia. Multiple perspectives (client, therapist, observer)
were considered. Associations between attachment to the therapist
and client depressive and social anxiety symptoms were also
explored. Task analysis was utilized to generate a model of the
development of secure attachment to the therapist. Two phases of
attachment development were identified in the rational-empirical
model, including “pre-attachment” and “attachment-in-the-making.”
Key behavioral, cognitive, and emotional tasks were identified for
each phase. Quantitative findings showed a direct relationship
between both secure and preoccupied-merger attachment to the
therapist and depressive symptoms. An inverse relationship between
both secure and preoccupied-merger attachment to the therapist and
social anxiety symptoms was also found. Finally, fearful-avoidant
attachment to the therapist was inversely related to depressive
symptoms and not related to social anxiety symptoms. Qualitative
and quantitative results indicated that secure attachment to the
therapist developed rapidly in this case. Data suggested that the
development of this attachment was aided by the therapist
consistently serving as a safe haven and secure base for the
client, and the client using the therapist as a safe haven and
secure base. Implications for training, research, and practice are
discussed.

Effrig, J. C. (2014). The Development of Attachment to the Therapist: A
Mixed-methods Case Study. (Doctoral Dissertation). Penn State University. Retrieved from https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/catalog/22499

Effrig JC. The Development of Attachment to the Therapist: A
Mixed-methods Case Study. [Doctoral Dissertation]. Penn State University; 2014. Available from: https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/catalog/22499

► This thesis would be trivial if it did not aim to assist organisations to continuously improve their activities and sustain long-term profitability in today’s competitive…
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▼ This thesis would be trivial if it did not aim to assist organisations to continuously improve their activities and sustain long-term profitability in today’s competitive market. It reports the development of a knowledge transfer model within MNCs with the major focus on knowledge flow within international Lean and Six Sigma teams. The model highlights the inhibitory and facilitatory factors in knowledge transfer processes. To remain among the leaders in the market, firms must continuously strive for better performance. This often implies the best management practices such as continuous improvement processes. Lean and Six Sigma are two well-known approaches which are strategically important for businesses. The adoption and deployment of both Lean and Six Sigma, however, cannot be successful without a robust knowledge management structure, especially when deployed in an international dimension where subsidiaries and HQ constantly interact to maintain a high performance level. For many decades, efforts to develop knowledge management in multinationals have been important. Some of the well-know authors in this field are Davenport and Prusak, Szulanski, Minbaeva, Gupta and Govindarajan, and Holden. Although there have been many attempts to understand the phenomenon of knowledge management in multinationals, there are limited studies reported in the literature regarding knowledge transfer in international Lean and Six Sigma teams within MNCs in the broad triad of developed, underdeveloped and developing countries. Moreover, a number of knowledge transfer models have been proposed and described in many other research studies, but none is fully adaptable to the context of these international teams because of their lack of specificity to this particular field of practice. In fact, besides working within an international team, Lean and Six Sigma project leaders in MNCs are often seen as internal consultants, providing their services to two different categories of individuals: people with basic Lean and Six Sigma knowledge and those with no Lean and Six Sigma knowledge. Hence there is a need for a strong communication system to maintain good information flow and understanding in such international firms. This research thus investigated the existing phenomenon of knowledge transfer in Lean and Six Sigma teams within MNCs through a single casestudy carried out in four main regions Asia (Malaysia), Europe (France, Germany, the UK), Latin America (Argentina, Brazil) and the USA. It emphasised evaluating and comparing how (1) Lean and Six Sigma knowledge was developed, transferred and implemented in these different units, and (2) how the team members interacted together in order to successfully deploy Lean and Six Sigma projects internationally. This enabled the researcher to identify and understand the difficulties behind the success of knowledge transfer effectiveness in such teams. This study was conducted in three phases. In the preliminary phase, the literature review enabled the researcher to identify the gaps and establish…

► This casestudy, with four elementary school students as participants, examined the use of books and bibliotherapy when experiencing a traumatic incident. Utilizing fiction books,…
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▼ This casestudy, with four elementary school students as participants, examined the use of books and bibliotherapy when experiencing a traumatic incident. Utilizing fiction books, I explored how literature could be a powerful tool for overcoming life-altering events and circumstances, such as losing a pet, going through a divorce, or dealing with a grandparent who is suffering from Alzheimer's, with a bully in school, or the death of a loved one. Bibliotherapy could also be effective when used with individuals that stutter, children with dyslexia, and children coping with death or a parental mental illness. For this study, the data was collected through interviews, journals, and audio tapings. Analysis was completed using the grounded theory method. The participants were four students ages from seven to nine, from two elementary schools. The results indicated that literature as a medium was effective when used with children who were overcoming a specific emotional trauma.

▼ This study explores the transfonnational processes ofwomen leaving the sex trade. It discerns what interpersonal and intrapersonal transitions foster a sense of personal expansion and transfonnation in leaving the sex trade. The co-researchers consisted of four women who had left sex trade work. Phenomenology and narrative inquiry served as theoretical and methodological . frameworks that guided the study. In addition, thematic analysis was utilized specifically to isolate metathemes and themes within the data. What was important to the coresearchers in their transfonnational processes was as complex and unique as their personal histories and experiences. However, overarching similarities emerged from the co-researchers narratives. The metathemes distinguished in the data were understanding history, self/identity, building relationships, sexuality, economic viability, and triggers. Future considerations for further research include having a larger sample, representing male experiences of transfonnation, and interviewing co-researchers two years following the initial interview.
Advisors/Committee Members: Marshall, Anne (supervisor).

► The advising relationship has been acknowledged as one of the most important factors in doctoral student persistence and attrition. Less researched are psychosocial factors…
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▼ The advising relationship has been acknowledged as one of the most important factors in doctoral student persistence and attrition. Less researched are psychosocial factors that contribute to doctoral student persistence and completion. Preliminary research including measures of psychosocial factors on doctoral student success found faculty-student relationships and collegial support contributed significantly to doctoral completion more so than individual factors including motivation, career goals, procrastination, financial security, and external demands such as family.
The current study draws on the psychosocial construct of mattering (Rosenberg &
McCullough, 1981) to examine doctoral students’ perceptions of mattering to their advisors and the influence on their commitment to complete their PhD. Using a qualitative multiple casestudy approach, findings from this study revealed the impact of the discipline on the advisor-student relationship, particularly in how mattering is experienced and the influence on students’ commitment to complete the PhD. Three components of mattering were examined: attention, importance and dependence. While a new form of attention emerged from both cases, this form of attention manifested in different ways for each case. Findings from this study revealed students in one case felt their relationships with their advisors confirmed their commitment, while the same conclusion was not supported within the other case.
Advisors/Committee Members: Doris L. Watson, Kim Nehls, Stefani Relles, Chyllis Scott.

► The Fitness and Health Promotion (FHP) program is a relatively new program in the faculty of Health and Life Sciences and Community Services at Conestoga…
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▼ The Fitness and Health Promotion (FHP) program is a relatively new program in the faculty of Health and Life Sciences and Community Services at Conestoga College in Ontario. The FHP program is designed to train and prepare individuals as qualified fitness and health consultants working in the fitness and lifestyle industry. Graduating students have the skills to complete standardized exams for accreditation. Although assessment is an essential component in higher education, the educators who are required to do it may not always understand it well. This single casestudy investigated the development and use of assessment tools and strategies in this higher education context through interviews with thirteen participants from three different stakeholder groups. In addition, this casestudy describes the perceptions around assessment of these stakeholders: educators, administrator and students. Professional development and training should be implemented for all stakeholder groups to resolve misunderstandings around assessment tools and strategies and to optimize feedback activities.

►Case studies have been frequently used by Public Administration students enrolled for master’s degrees by coursework and mini-dissertation. There are apparently various meanings of and…
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▼Case studies have been frequently used by Public Administration students enrolled for master’s degrees by coursework and mini-dissertation. There are apparently various meanings of and a lack of clarity about the concept “case study” when used in the titles of South African Public Administration master’s dissertations. The purpose of this study was to analyse case studies reported on in South African Public Administration master’s dissertations in order to determine the characteristics of these studies. The study examined case studies in South African Public Administration master’s dissertations completed between 2005 and 2012. It began by reviewing the various components of a casestudy, then went further to analyse the way in which case studies were applied in the field. The study defined casestudy as a research process determined by a combination of the following components: a specific strategy for selecting the unit of analysis (the case), a
specific research design, research purpose, the methods of data collection and data analysis, and a specific nature of the expected outcomes of the study. The major findings of the study were that most case studies in the analysed dissertations have used interventions (60,9%) as their case. About (43,5%) of the analysed dissertations were evaluative in nature. There is, however, an uneven distribution in terms of the casestudy design used by a significant proportion of the dissertations (83%) employing the single-case design as opposed to the multiple-case design (17%). The results presented in relation to case selection strategies used show that typical cases were the most investigated. Moreover, a number of the dissertations seemed to be more aligned towards qualitative methods, although mixed methods were mostly used. These dissertations preferred interviews as sources of evidence. Meanwhile, pattern matching appeared to be the dominant technique used to analyse casestudy
evidence in these dissertations. Hypothesis generating was also identified as the outcome in most of the dissertations.
Advisors/Committee Members: Wessels, J. S (advisor).

Zongozzi, J. N. (2015). Case studies in South African public administration master's dissertations in the period 2005 to 2012. (Masters Thesis). University of South Africa. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10500/19045

Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition):

Zongozzi, J Nkosinathi. “Case studies in South African public administration master's dissertations in the period 2005 to 2012.” 2015. Masters Thesis, University of South Africa. Accessed March 21, 2019.
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/19045.

MLA Handbook (7th Edition):

Zongozzi, J Nkosinathi. “Case studies in South African public administration master's dissertations in the period 2005 to 2012.” 2015. Web. 21 Mar 2019.

Vancouver:

Zongozzi JN. Case studies in South African public administration master's dissertations in the period 2005 to 2012. [Internet] [Masters thesis]. University of South Africa; 2015. [cited 2019 Mar 21].
Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10500/19045.

Council of Science Editors:

Zongozzi JN. Case studies in South African public administration master's dissertations in the period 2005 to 2012. [Masters Thesis]. University of South Africa; 2015. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10500/19045

University of Texas – Austin

27.
Gonzalez, Luis Raul.
Guatemalan unaccompanied children migration : a casestudy of unaccompanied children in guatemala.

► This thesis examines the motives and conditions of migration of Guatemalan unaccompanied children through a casestudy. Unaccompanied children have been arriving in large numbers…
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▼ This thesis examines the motives and conditions of migration of Guatemalan unaccompanied children through a casestudy. Unaccompanied children have been arriving in large numbers than in the past. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in fiscal year 2014, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol apprehended more than 68,000 unaccompanied children (DHS Statistical Yearbook 2014), and approximately 69,000 migrants traveling together as families. Based on ethnographic, semi-structure interviews with families, NGOs, lawyers, and community members I argue that new migration communities are emerging as a result of systemic legal violence. There is little consensus among analysts regarding why the number of Central American minors abandoning their homes in hope of entering the United States has increased so significantly. Nevertheless, structural conditions of high levels of poverty, unemployment, violence, and instability in the region has contributed to the influx of child migration.
Advisors/Committee Members: Rodriguez, Néstor (advisor), Menchaca, Martha (committee member).

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

Council of Science Editors:

Gonzalez LR. Guatemalan unaccompanied children migration : a case study of unaccompanied children in guatemala. [Thesis]. University of Texas – Austin; 2016. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/2152/39094

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

Duquesne University

28.
Rua, Kevin.
The Role and Function of Literacy in Two Homeschooling Families.

► Homeschooling is an increasingly popular practice, and this raises questions about how it is carried out. One important area for investigation is the literacy practices…
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▼ Homeschooling is an increasingly popular practice, and this raises questions about how it is carried out. One important area for investigation is the literacy practices of homeschooling. Literacy is often seen as a necessary component of formal schooling. This project investigated the role and function of literacy in two homeschooling families. Specifically the research was designed to answer the following questions:
*How is homeschooling both similar to and different from formal schooling?
*What are the literacy practices of homeschooling? What tools are used in these practices? What knowledge and skills are used in these practices? What are the goals of these practices?
*What are the consequences of homeschooling literacy practices?
A casestudy methodology was used. Participants were recruited through various homeschooling associations and data was collected using interviews, field observations of home schooling interactions, recording of these interactions, parent journals, and various artifacts. Data from each family were analyzed and presented as a case, then the two families were compared.
Regarding the first question, analysis showed that both families exhibited features of both formal and informal education. Both families utilized educational resources outside the home, such as libraries, the zoo, and museums. The families shared two characteristics that were not comparable to formal schooling: (1) each family had one adult teaching only one child and (2) the adult and child had a relationship beyond the teacher-student relationship. Regarding the second question, analysis showed that the two families utilized literacy in similar ways. For example, both used reading and writing for organizing thinking, directing behavior, abstracting, synthesizing, and categorizing. Regarding the final question, parents in both families believed that literacy promoted their child's independence, and observations and analysis of interactions suggested that homeschooling promotes attentiveness.
A sharp distinction and tension have often been described between home-based literacy practices and school-based literacy practices. This study showed that homeschooling can fall towards the middle of a continuum between formal and informal education, and as such may serve as a model for ways to incorporate home-based literacy practices within school settings.
Advisors/Committee Members: Martin Packer, Eva Simms, Janine Certo.

► The world of literacy has expanded alongside technology, and new literacies are being used as an alternative or an addition to traditional text. By including…
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▼ The world of literacy has expanded alongside technology, and new literacies are being used as an alternative or an addition to traditional text. By including video gaming as literacy, the connection can be made between students' multimodal world outside of school with the world of literacy they encounter in school. This study took two approaches of a content study and a casestudy. A collective casestudy was used to examine the gaming experience of participants with three commercial video games falling into three separate genres: Sims FreePlay (simulation); Halo 1 (first person shooter); and World of Warcraft (role playing game). The 15 gamers were placed into three sets of five participants for each video game, and interviews were conducted to explore the gaming experience in relation to stance and transaction, which are major components of Louise Rosenblatt's reader response theory. Limited research has been conducted regarding reader response theory and the new literacies; by using the reader response lens, the gaming experience was compared to the reading experience to add the new literacies to the existing literature on reader response. As a way to look at both the text and the experience, a content study examined three mainstream video games to establish literacy content by using Zimmerman's gaming literacy theory. Even though this theory is useful by detailing elements found in video games and not traditional literature, literary value cannot be fully assessed unless the theory is developed further to include other components or discuss how the depth of the components can relate to literary value. The literature does not currently contain substantial research regarding how to assess the literary value of video games, so this study begins to add to the present literature by demonstrating that at least for these games the presence of the components of the theory can be evaluated. This analysis of both the game and the experience demonstrated substantial parallels between the gaming experience and the reading transaction as well as looking at the viability of using gaming literacy theory to evaluate literacy value.
Advisors/Committee Members: Harris, Mary, Mathis, Janelle, Tunks, Jeanne, Cannella, Gaile.

Sanders, A. (2013). Parallels Between the Gaming Experience and Rosenblatt's Reader Response Theory. (Thesis). University of North Texas. Retrieved from https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271890/

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition):

Sanders, April. “Parallels Between the Gaming Experience and Rosenblatt's Reader Response Theory.” 2013. Thesis, University of North Texas. Accessed March 21, 2019.
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271890/.

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

Council of Science Editors:

Sanders A. Parallels Between the Gaming Experience and Rosenblatt's Reader Response Theory. [Thesis]. University of North Texas; 2013. Available from: https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271890/

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

► This study employed an ecological framework to examine how multiple contextual variables from the state biosphere, district biome, school habitat and classroom niche impact…
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▼ This study employed an ecological
framework to examine how multiple contextual variables from the
state biosphere, district biome, school habitat and classroom niche
impact how teachers decide to integrate technology. It was an
opportunity to observe how a teacher's Technological Pedagogical
Content Knowledge operates in a classroom in response to the
building, district and state contexts. It was conducted in multiple
classrooms in one school and with science teachers. It included a
self-study component. It provided an opportunity to directly
observe the interactions between students and teacher as distinct
species in the classroom when technology integration occurred. This
allowed me to determine how observing other teacher's technology
integration efforts impacted my own use in my classroom. I hope to
provide an emic perspective on technology integration and broaden
the definition of effective technology
integration.